Manipur Intensifies Security Operations as Questions Mount Over Henglep Operation Deaths

Security forces have intensified cordon and search operations, area domination exercises and combing operations across the fringe and vulnerable areas of Manipur's Kangpokpi, Churachandpur and Thoubal districts amid renewed tensions over recent deaths and protests. Authorities have established multiple nakas and checkpoints at strategic locations as part of efforts to maintain law and order and prevent further escalation of violence in the state.

According to official sources, the large-scale operations are being conducted following recent incidents of killings and armed activities involving different communities. Director General of Police Mukesh Singh is personally overseeing the security measures in sensitive areas that have witnessed an increase in violence over the past few weeks. Security agencies said the objective is to ensure public safety and strengthen vigilance in vulnerable locations.

Meanwhile, three Kuki patients undergoing treatment at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal were shifted out of the hospital late Tuesday night after sustained protests and repeated demands from civil society groups. The state government had earlier assured protest representatives that the patients would be transferred, following demonstrations that continued for two days and led security personnel to use tear gas to disperse crowds as tensions mounted around the hospital premises.

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Fresh controversy has also emerged over a security operation conducted on June 16 in Manipur's Henglep Sub-Division. The Assam Rifles has maintained that one suspected militant was killed during an encounter between Molphei and Songkong villages and that an AK-47 rifle, magazines, ammunition, explosives and other incriminating materials were recovered from the site. Police have registered a criminal case and stated that further investigation is underway.

However, Henglep MLA Letzamang Haokip has disputed the official version, alleging that the deceased, identified as Lenminsang, son of Lenkhogin Haokip, was an unarmed civilian from North Songkong village. Calling the incident "shocking" and "deeply disturbing", the legislator demanded a judicial and independent inquiry, citing eyewitness claims that the victim's clothes were removed and his body was taken away before the incident was allegedly portrayed as an encounter involving a militant.

While security agencies continue to describe the operation as a successful counter-insurgency action, the MLA has called for the immediate recovery and return of the body to the family, a transparent investigation and strict action against anyone found responsible for concealing facts or misrepresenting the incident. The competing claims have intensified demands for an independent verification of the circumstances surrounding the death, with police stating that the case remains under investigation and further details will emerge as the inquiry progresses.

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